Wi-Fi for Consumer Devices

Laptops, phones, and tablets should be able to join our eduroam network, which is our preferred wireless network. However, some consumer-grade devices do not support the security settings necessary to join the network. If you have a game console, smart speaker, media device, or other similar piece of equipment, this page will help you get it online. Please keep in mind:

Confirm Wi-Fi Is Needed

Many game consoles support wired (ethernet) operation. Every dorm room has at least one active ethernet jack, so this may be a better way to get online. The wired network is faster (1 Gb/s) and has lower latency that Wi-Fi, making it easier to download large updates and play games. If the jack in your room is damaged or you have multiple pieces of equipment, contact the technology department and we can help.

If your device doesn't support wired operation and you must use Wi-Fi, read on for additional instructions.

Find Your MAC Address

In order to get your device online, you must find its MAC address. This is sometimes called the Wi-Fi Address, or Hardware Address.

The MAC address is exactly 12 letters or digits long, using only the numbers 0-9 and the letters A-F.

The MAC address sometimes has hypens or colons between pairs of digits.

Here are some sample MAC addresses:

You can find the MAC on the device itself (on a sticker), and it is sometimes used as the serial number of the device (if there are any letters besides A-F, this isn't the case). Otherwise, you may be able to find the MAC on a setup screen or preferences page for the device. This guide from Northwestern University has specific instructions for finding the MAC for several common devices.

Send A Tech Request

Once you have the MAC address for the device, send an email to auto@help.suffieldacademy.org asking for us to register your IoT device. Include a description of the device (game console, speaker, etc), and include the MAC address. Once we have that, we'll respond with additional instructions to get the device online.